Wind Blown Storms
by Ari and Kat
Summary: OC Ari Stormset. Ari must save Kenshin's world and learn to relax a little...Kenshin helps! Rated for occasional language and adult themes.
1. Default Chapter

Hi y'all! I'm Ari, actually Allison the writer, but I love my OC so much I took her name and made it MINE! BWA HA HA HA HA! Sorry.you'll find I do a lot of that. Okay. Here's a summary of the beginning, for all of you who can't read or something.okay, yeah, I know, that's ridiculous, but for all I know someone's reading it to you, 'kay? Ari Stormset is my original character, and she appears in almost all my stories. As does Kenshin Himura. I love the little red headed baka deshi! KAWAII! I love him! Finished obsessing, ready to go on. Ari is the Ultimate of the Universe, one of the four Guardians of God who protect the universe that contains the anime and manga worlds. Can we say, BIG CROSSOVERS? It's okay, though, I do my best to make them, um, not cheesy? What can I say, I'm brilliant. Alright. So Ari, as Ultimate, is gifted with all the powers known to the universe, in strongest amounts. That's to make sure she can get her job done right, but most of the time she just uses a basic set- a.k.a. super speed, strength, and whatnot. All of the traveling she's done has ensured that she's been trained in almost every martial arts stylein existence today, ans some that won't come around for another few years or so. Definitely a kick-ass kind of gal. If you couldn't already tell, I myself am Southern. I take karate, so I tend to do well with fighting scenes and explanations and whatnot, so if I fall behind and don't I need you, my avid fans, to email me and tell me.  
A few words of warning: this is not angst, but it will seem like it until you get to the last story in my little trilogy. A lot happens to Ari, and it spans almost, oh, ten years almost- and yes, Kenshin is present throughout. But not Kaoru. This is Ari and Kenshin's story, not some little sissy pants teacher who hasn't got the %^$ to-  
Ah, sorry.  
Anyway, Kaoru's not in these three, so to you Kaoru-haters out there: YES! And to those of you who actually like her- she's not bad in another one of my stories, though I had to revamp her a little- I'm sorry. But no Kaoru today.  
Well, that about sums it up. I would ask that if any of you have positive translations for the many little Japanese expressions I am constantly reading, please send me something so I may begin to use them more in my writing. I like it a lot, and though I tend to shy away from 'oro,' I like everything else.  
And one more thing: SEND ME PICS OF KENSHIN PLEASE! I love Kenshin! And I'm making myself a screensaver with Kenhsin pics, but so far the best ones have Kaoru.sigh.oh well. I'll get over it. Just send me some good ones, okay?  
Ooh, especially any chibi pics! I can't find any!!!  
Well, got to go- Kat'll be ticked at me for not including her in this, but it's my story, even if we share a login and all that. I'll update around once a week, if all goes according to plan, and I ask you email or review so I can fix myself better!  
Well, as Ari says, meth ten! Go in peace-  
Allison Shishou- I'm teaching friends. ( 


	2. Chapter One

Wind Blown Storms Chapter One: Stormset Eyes  
  
Every man and woman alive in every world of every universe will face at least one problem that they can't solve. For characters in anime and manga, where millions of lives can depend on one person's special abilities, there just might be a problem with this.  
  
Disclaimer: Look, if I owned any of the characters in this story (except for Ari Stormset- MINE! Well, I guess I could share .okay, okay, so no one's asked me yet, but I'll get there!) I'd be living in the lap of luxury in a beautiful apartment with a brand new laptop instead of sitting at a computer that's so old I have to put in extra memory to run anything besides Windows. Sigh.  
  
Allison: Oh, by the way- I'm a bit of a neat-freak when it comes to writing, so I've written it in proper format. See, the "" mean someone's talking, and '' means someone's thinking. Also, when putting a paragraph into correct format, I .  
  
Kenshin: Would you please be quiet? I'd like to hear the story, that I would. Yusuke: Yeah, shut up already!  
  
Allison: Oh fine. pouts Be that way. But don't blame me when you can't read your other fan fics because no one knows how to type it properly.  
  
Goku: Shh, shh! It's about to start!  
  
Allison: (Small note to the readers: I know this is not where Kenshin is, but I needed to give a little background information on Ari first, so bear with me hee, okay? He's coming.) ____________________________________________________________________________ __________  
  
-A small child sat, crying and alone, in the middle of the last remaining forest on Earth. The child did not know what year it was, any more than she knew where she was. She didn't know that she was in a forest, even, only that it was green, and somehow comforting. Her blue-grey eyes looked up, bright from crying. She looked up at the dark sky, wondering if there were actually stars beyond the curtain of smog, as some said there were. Then she looked down again, at her left arm, and at the deep cut in it. For a moment she seemed to mull over it, thinking about whether it had really been that wise to do that. Her eyes gleamed with a hint of red for just a moment, flashing rebellion, and then she sighed, lonely again. She leaned up against a tree as her master had taught her, so that she could keep from being caught from behind. She, at the age of ten, was the single most wanted person on her planet.-  
  
It was a quiet day. Hot (as always) and dry (as always) as Vash the Stampede ducked behind a rock. He was completely outmatched-somehow, this man had found a way to take the power a plant can produce and corrupt it for his own use. Vash desperately tried to bring it back to good, but it wasn't listening. He had tried everything, including his last resort, the Big Gun (Gimme a break, they never named it in the series!), to destroy this evil man who had taken the purity of the being within the plant. The rock was summarily blasted; and Vash realized, with a slight amount of panic, that that had been the last one, as well as the last bit of cover he had. He stood, rooted to the ground, as the man leveled his gun at Vash and smiled. Vash the Stampede was about to die. Out of nowhere a person appeared. (Man? Woman? Vash couldn't tell- he/she was moving very quickly.) As if in slow motion, Vash watched the man who had been so lightning quick turn, slowly, so slowly! The mystery person pulled their arm back, still in the air in front of the man. They drew their elbow back, and then, with a speed Vash couldn't even register, took him out in one blow with a forearm strike to the shoulder. Time regained its pace, and the person dropped lithely to the ground, as Vash watched the man who had been about to kill him fall at his feet. Vash looked at the mysterious figure, unsure of what had just happened but sure that the person standing there had done it. "Who are you?" asked Vash cautiously. When you have 60 million double- dollars on your head, you can never be sure whether someone saved you, or saved 60 million. And this was a person to be reckoned with. "Why did you save me?" The figure drew back her hood, revealing a young woman with brown-blonde hair that was just long enough to be tied into a small ponytail at the nape of her neck, and blue-grey eyes that were currently the color of an approaching storm at sea. She had a piercing focus that seemed to be able to cover everything at once. "My name is Ari Stormset," she said in a calm voice. Vash was startled for a moment by the depth of it. It spoke of complete and total impartiality. "And I saved you because it is my job." Vash could only stare.  
  
Allison: So what'd ya think? I would appreciate it very much if you reviewed, that I would. (oops. Sorry, I just finished watching Rurouni Kenshin.) Anyway, I have lots of great ideas, but I need to know how to best write them to do them complete justice. Please tell me if I have typos or anything is wrong or if anyone knows the name of those things inside the giant light bulbs on Trigun.  
  
Kenshin: Uhm, sorry folks, I edited out the rest of her rambling. She'll go on for pages if I don't. Yusuke: Seriously, man, she can type for what seems like hours. Goku: At least you guys know what she's saying. Yusuke: Hey, Kenshin, where the hell'd you learn to edit sound bits, anyway? Kenshin: Um, you readers had best go. Yusuke's got a mouth on him, that he does. Yusuke: Damn straight I do! Now answer me already! Kenshin: Run! It's already beginning! Goku (watching from the sidelines): Boy, oh boy, I get to fight next!  
  
Allison: Ha! They thought they could get rid of me, did they? Alright, readers, I want at least FIVE reviews before I put the next chappie up. Got to love hostage situations! So get reviewin' ! I mean, come on, the button's right there, just click and type a little! Please! Don't make me BEG!  
  
Yusuke: God, no.your dignity is hard to watch, without being torn to shreds online. That would make you completely without pride. Allison: Shut up. 


	3. Chapter Two

Wind Blown Storms Chapter Two: Wounded Walk  
  
Disclaimer: I thought I'd covered that already.oh well, see Chapter One.  
  
Izzy: Uh, why not just cut and paste? Allison: Too much work. Yusuke: God she's lazy. Kenshin: Now Miss Allison works hard to come up with all this stuff, that she does. We should be grateful to be in her stories, that we should! Yusuke: Um, duh! We're not in there, genius! Kenshin: (going Battosai) You'd better put us in there! Otherwise I will be forced to rather drastic measures! Allison: (sighs). guess its time to raise room'n'board again. hehehe. Everyone: WHAT?!!!! Allison: By the way, the reviews are at the bottom. I know it's sometimes frustrating when you get tot the story, only to find three bazillion reviews in your way. Yusuke: (snickers) As if you could get three reviews.  
  
"So you're supposed to protect the key players in each world's destiny?" Vash murmured, not sure he quite understood, " and I'm a key person?"  
"Right," Ari said quietly. " I know it's hard to believe, but please understand. It's important that you know this.but not let it affect you."  
"But why?" asked Vash, "I'm not sure why you're necessary. I mean, if someone is the strongest, doesn't that mean the Strongest? As in, no one is stronger?"  
"Yes," Ari said, "but there will always be at least one problem a person can't solve, and I am there make sure they get past it. It's inevitable- a law of the universe."  
"Hmmm." Vash said, then stared into space for a while, thinking it over.  
Ari stood up. Vash watched, a bit surprised, as she squatted down, and crept, with such an amazing amount of stealth that he for a moment forgot she was there, to the door. She stood up and took out the man who burst in the door with gun raised as soon as he stepped in.  
"Hey, now wait just a second, there was no need to do that, he wasn't.oh;" Vash trailed off as he stood up, then saw the gun. "But how did you.?"  
" I heard him take off the safety," she said. ".although I thought there were more of them." She turned and saw, almost too late, the other two men waiting right outside the door. She misjudged the two men's speed and, not moving quickly enough, caught a shot in the right collarbone as the other grazed her left shoulder. For a moment she blacked out, then regained consciousness only just in time to barely twist out of the way of a finishing shot.  
Gritting her teeth against her pain, she went between them, drew an odd gun of her own from underneath her coat, and clubbed both men in the back of the head in one sweep, knocking them out. She then collapsed down to sit beside them. Vash stared for a second, then snapped out of it.  
"You're hurt!" Vash said, alarmed at her injury. "Ah, where's the hospital?!"  
"I'm fine," Ari said, with a rather frightening look in her eyes. "Don't worry so much."  
"YOU JUST GOT SHOT STRAIGHT IN THE COLLARBONE! YOU SHOULDN"T EVEN BE ABLE TO STAND!!!" Vash yelled. "WHAT KIND OF NUT ARE YOU?! Now, COME ON!!!"  
Vash stormed out. Ari blinked, look completely gone, and then, feeling somewhat sheepish, got up and followed.  
It was several days until the doctor would allow Ari to leave. After the kind man told her she was well enough to go, Ari turned to Vash and said:  
"Well, it's been fun. Time to go."  
Vash blinked. "Where are you going to go?"  
"I got places to be. If something happens, call me-I'll be able to help." She hopped out of bed, and walked outside. Vash followed. She started to walk off, then turned, and with a small smile, said:  
"Hey. Thanks. And good luck to you, Vash the Stampede."  
Her eyes flashed like gunmetal caught in the sun as she turned, but he didn't catch the other half of her words: "You're going to need it."  
Vash stood there quietly. Ari continued down the road, and, pulling up her hood, walked off into the vanishing sands of Gunsmoke.  
  
Allison: So, what's up? It might be a little cliché, but I thought it was pretty good. Hey, I forgot to say that this is my first fan fic EVER, so be mean. Builds character. Kenshin: Are you sure that's it for this chapter? Allison: Yeah, why? Kenshin: (Battosai Glare) Allison: Y'know, that ought to be a technique o' yours. Bet you could scare any competitor away with that look. EXCEPT ME! BWA HAHAHAHAHAH! Yusuke: Yeah, she's all high and mighty because she just got her orange stripe belt. Goku: . Allison: Yep! Now only seven more belts to go before me black belt! Kenshin: That means about two years, right? (Back to normal) Allison: (all depressed now) sniff. Kenshin: I didn't mean to upset you, Miss Allison, that I didn't! Besides, the National Tournament is coming up, is it not? Allison: (cheering up) Hey, you're right! Yay, Sparring! Yusuke:.yeah. Goku: Yes! Someone who likes sparring as much as I do! Woo-hoo!  
  
Allison: Okay, people, you know the drill: five more reviews for the next chapter! And Ari actually reaches the Meiji era in the next one! ( Grins! 


	4. Chapter Three

Wind Blown Storms Chapter Three-  
  
Disclaimer: Why do you people ask me if I own these characters if I already told you that I don't?!  
  
Kenshin: Settle down, Miss Allison! Yusuke: Yeah, can't blame 'em. I wouldn't want someone to steal me either! Allison:.(sweat drop trailing).o-kay.  
  
-The small child with blue-grey eyes was sleeping, dreaming. She dreamed of many, many things- the moon and stars, her friend, whom she thought of as a younger brother, and even food, but mostly she dreamt of living in a world where she was free to be taught by her master without any police hunting for them. She dreamed of being free, truly free, not being chased down like some small animal. Her dreams turned into memories of the day she decided to rebel, and therefore met her master.-  
  
Ari Stormset, Ultimate of the Universe, had a free moment. She sat down and leaned up against a tree with an exhausted sigh. She thought for a moment about how to position herself, then decided that since this particular world was in the time of the Meiji government, she probably should tuck away her sword. However, at the same time, she didn't want to be caught without, so she compromised and moved to a tree where she could see the road, but from the road a person wouldn't see her sword. Tucking her chin in and keeping both legs bent and up, she leaned her sword against a shoulder in an unconscious mirror of the main character of the world she was on. She was more tired than she knew, and in a few moments the warm spring air and a gentle breeze had lulled her into a deep sleep. It was the first time in quite a while she had slept without keeping her guard up, and before she knew it a police officer was shaking her awake.  
"Ma'am, I am sorry but because you are carrying a sword with you I am going to have to ask you to come to the station with me for inquiries."  
Ari started out of her sleep, and after realizing the position she was in, took to her rather quick heels. Within moments she had managed to lose the officer, only to run smack into a young gentleman with a rather odd white shirt. The impact hurt her injured shoulder enough to cause a few tears to spring unbidden to her eyes, and she clenched her teeth as she attempted to apologize with her hand on her shoulder.  
"Sumimasen, sumimasen!(Sorry, sorry!)" she said, rather embarrassed. She, the Ultimate, had just gotten knocked down by running into some guy! Oh, dear God. The mortification.wounded pride hurts so much.!  
  
"It's alright, just settle down, it's not like I'm gonna beat you or som- hey, you're bleeding!" He said, surprised. " Lord, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! Here, let me take you to a doctor or something.," he trailed off, seeing her watching an officer go by.  
"Alright, come on, I'll take you to the Kamiya dojo- old man Kamiya's pretty cool, and you obviously don't need to be in police sight much," he decided, introducing himself as Sanosuke, or Sano, then nodding just down the street. "You can explain there."  
Ari followed somewhat thoughtfully. Kamiya.wait, wasn't there supposed to be a character named Kaoru there? If there wasn't.oh, dear Lord! Her intuition told her she was correct in her assumption.  
  
she thought. she berated herself, I'm here to do my job and nothing else. Get over it!  
Ari stopped thinking for a moment to study the surroundings. The man's shirt read "Bad" on the back, she noticed.  
The streets were clean, and moderately busy. The man turned to see if she was following, then said, "It's right here, come on;" and headed into the gates of a small dojo. Ari stepped inside the gates, and the man closed them behind her.  
"Hey, uh, before we go see Kamiya, would you mind taking off your hood?" he said, voice sounding odd.  
"Yes, I would," Ari said icily. "I do not like people judging me by my looks; either Kamiya will understand or he will not. Either way I shall be fine."  
"Yeesh," Sano said, "You'd think I'd asked you to kill someone or something first." He led her to a room, grumbling, then went off to find Kamiya.  
  
  
Allison: So, how is it? I think I'm doing better with the Kenshin scenario then with Vash. The Meiji era just has so much more to play around with. I think I'm going to shift it to mostly in this setting, partially because Ari's got a LOT to do there. But I can't tell you that; it'd be giving it all away!  
  
Kenshin: What? What are you going to have happen to me? Yusuke: If I were you, Kenshin, I'd be scared. Goku: Aw, Allison's a good writer! And a, um, well, she's working on the martial arts! Allison: gee, thanks so much,, Goku, Yusuke, Kenshin.your confidence is simply overwhelming.  
  
Anyway, please please please please please please please review! Five more for the next chappie!  
  
Thanks to everyone who already reviewed:  
  
Hannah, if you send me one more flame, I'm gonna kill you!!! Where's my katana?! 


	5. Chapter Four

Wind Blown Storms Chapter Four- Dawning Realization  
  
Disclaimer: Sorry, I just don't feel like it.I just finished some McDonalds.(urp). See Chapter One.  
  
Allison: Kenshin, Goku, Yusuke, ANYBODY got a quick fix for nausea brought on by too much fast food after an extended period of not eating fast food? Everybody: uh, no. Allison: Sigh.  
  
-The small child was remembering the time she had first met her Master, her Sensei. She had watched him for nearly three weeks, copying his moves, and enjoying the fluidity with which he practiced until he had one day caught her and invited her down. She had looked at him, not quite trusting him, but after a moment had sat down to watch; after a few days she started practicing with him and learning the ancient art: tae kwon do. She had grown to trust him and love him as a father she had never had. She grew in power and wisdom and knowledge for barely three months until she had achieved his level. She did not know it but he recognized with in the child with stormy eyes an amazing potential and talent for fighting, and so encouraged her and taught her. He continued her education as long as he could- until the enforcers came.-  
  
Ari sat on the floor and waited. Sano was sure taking his time getting Kamiya. She sat there, bored, for a while until she realized suddenly she was being watched. She scanned the doorway, casually turned and looked out the window, then checked the pictures on the wall. She innocently looked up, and looked a few more places until she saw a small knothole in the wall. She examined it for a moment, then focused on it. Whoever was on the other side quickly realized that he was spotted and ran off. Ari smiled mentally to herself, then snapped out of it when the door opened and Sano and an elderly man stepped in.  
"Sorry that took so long," Sano apologized, "but I went to fetch a doctor first." A young woman whom Sano called Megumi stepped in then knelt down to Ari to tend to her shoulder. Kamiya sat quietly in the corner, observing, and Sanosuke was leaning against the door until Megumi cleared them out so she could work.  
"Go on!" she snapped, "Out!"  
"Now sir," she said, turning back to Ari, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to remove your shirt and gi." She smiled disarmingly, probably to assure her that she only wanted to help.  
"Ahm, well, alright." Ari said cautiously, "but only if you don't tell Sano or Kamiya."  
"Um, sure," said Megumi, a little confused by the odd request but willing to comply with the seemingly odd request, "whatever you want."  
Ari did as she was asked, removing her shirt and gi to remove a scarred and taped up but decidedly female body. "Oh." Said Megumi. She blinked in surprise, then snapped out of it, and examined her shoulder, looking shocked. "You should not even be able to use that arm with your collarbone in this condition!" She scolded, getting out the tools she needed from a bag. "Much less running around from the police and slamming into guys like Sanosuke!" She went on like an angry mother hen for a while, then left with, "And I'd better not catch you doing anything with that arm!" Ari sat there for a moment, staring, then shrugged and got her clothes back on. Soon Master Kamiya and Sano came back into the room. "There, now, ain't that better?" Sano asked, oddly proud. "She's a good doctor, isn't she?" Ari realized that he probably loved her, but kept her mouth shut. "Now," said Master Kamiya, "Why were the police after you?" Ari explained about her sword. "Ah. Yes," he said knowledgeably, "the sword ban. Tell me-why is it that you carry one, even though it is illegal?" "I am a traveling swordsman," Ari told him, " looking for training." "Fresh meat!" whooped Sano. "C'mon, let's go!" "Sano!" scolded Master Kamiya. "You will not treat our guest in such a manner!" Ari stood up. " No, it's alright," she said quietly, "I would very much like a fight right now as well." "Alright, then," sighed Kamiya, " So be it." Ari and Sano stepped outside into the courtyard, faced each other and bowed, as was code. Kamiya would judge, and since Sanosuke was a hand-to- hand fighter, Ari agreed to not use her sword. Sano took up a common boxer's stance, and Ari decided that her best chance would lie in aikido. They stood for a moment and awaited Kamiya's starting hand drop. The instant he did Sano charged. Ari decided to make it mercifully quick. She simply threw him and went with it, basically putting him into check. Kamiya looked startled, then signaled that the match was over. Winner: um. "What is your name, young man?" Kamiya asked. Ari threw back her hood, and enjoyed watching Sano and Kamiya's jaw drop. "Actually.it's Ari- Ari Stormset," She said, feeling much better and much more agreeable for the match. " I was wondering.you wouldn't happen to need a helping hand around here, would you?" Sano stared as Kamiya recovered enough to say, "Um. sure." "Great!" she said, happy, "But, ah.Just don't ask me to cook much."  
  
Allison: Sorry that one was a little shorter than usual, but I wrote out the next few chapters on paper, then typed them up. I was on a roll and a bad thunderstorm decided to blow in.sigh. Kenshin: Well, I'm sure they probably liked it anyway. Sano: ha ha, I was in it and you weren't! Kenshin: (Sword point at Sano's throat) Don't tempt me. Yusuke: Alright, alright, kids, settle down. Goku: (exasperated) When do I get to fight?! (tumble weeds; Goku's all alone.) Goku: (sighs). not a single challenge. Vash: Eat donuts. It helps. Allison: Poor Goku. Oh well. Hey, if any of y'all want to see a particular character in here later on, I need you to go ahead and put in suggestions now. (The story line's kind of heading to a drama about when a lonely hero finds a home.which is actually pretty cool. I like stories like that. Hey, I might even make it into a romance story between Ari and Kenshin! Just for the record, the reason Kaoru's not in this story is that the problem on this world was that she was never born. Rules concerning Ari's job strictly do not allow any time travel, and so she can't go back and fix it. Believe me, Ari is not happy about this. She's got several thousand worlds to save, and a lot of them could be solved by traveling a few days back and having a coincidence that was supposed to happen happen. So she's stuck playing Kaoru's role in the story line for a while. She gets to kind of enjoy it though; she just wishes she could be herself more instead of what's required.) Ari: What are you telling them? Allison: (They can't read inside parenthesis! Ha ha ha!) Um, nothing. Ari: She's plotting something.I just know it.I'm kind of worried now. Vash: Aw, don't be. Here! Have a donut! Ari: . 


	6. Chapter Five

Wind Blown Storms Chapter Five- Stormset's Cloud Steel  
  
Disclaimer: It's too early for this crap.Okay, okay! See Chapter One.  
  
Sano: um, are you okay? Allison: zzz. Kenshin: Miss Allison, wake up; its time for you to write, that it is! Allison: Leave me alone, I stayed up until 1.30 last night writing.zzz. Yusuke: hehehe.(Shouts in her ear)- WAKE UP!!! Allison: (slowly picks up her head and glares at him) Yusuke: Aw man! Not the glare! Nooooo..!!! Allison: (smiles) zzz.  
  
-"It has been wonderful teaching you," whispered the small child's Master. "I am just sorry that your education was cut off so abruptly and was so hurried."  
Her master's words echo through her mind, the mind of a very sad small child. She remembers with sorrow the rich red of his blood pooling on the cold cement, and the hoarseness of his voice terrifies her even in recollection. She remembers taking his sword and mixing her blood with his, cutting out of her arm the tracking and identification chip that was implanted in every human being at birth. There was an odd kind of comfort in the fact that both his and her blood were the same beautiful red, as if somehow it meant that he was in her and she in him. And then he died there on the ground, the same earth where he had trained her for such a precious small time.-  
  
Kamiya's death, barely a year after she had arrived, hurt her deeply, and she grieved him for a long while after. As a memorial to him for being such a kind man, she decided that she would continue teaching his style of swordsmanship until one or two of his pupils had earned the title of instructor and could take over. And so she taught Kamiya Kashin-"The Sword that Protects."  
A second year went by and Ari settled into a new routine. Teach, eat, sleep, train- and be dream. Ari found that she had begun dreaming; before she had come to the dojo she had only had nightmares. Now, though, she had some nice dreams, and even on occasion one or two beautiful ones. She could sit on the top of the dojo and gaze at the moon and stars, she could watch the cherry blossoms and plum blossoms and wisteria and autumn leaves. She could even enjoy life sometimes- a new experience for her. Ari slowly changed from a hard, untrusting loner to a quietly beautiful young woman. She stopped wearing her hood and cloak and even began to wear a proper kimono on formal occasions. Her eyes were the least noticeable, but largest change of all; they settled from a stormy grey-blue to a bright, deep blue with only a small amount of grey in the deepest crevices. She still wore her hair short, though, and as a general rule it still stuck out at all different angles, especially in the mornings before she got her bath. But it still was softer and slightly richer looking, as was her general appearance.  
It was halfway into her third year at the dojo that several men were found dead in the streets. People said the man who killed them claimed to be the infamous "Hitokiri Battosai," or the manslayer of legend from the Revolution. They also said he claimed to use the Kamiya Kashin style, and it was at that point that Ari lost it.  
"Now don't be hasty, miss!" Sano pleaded, desperately trying to hold on to her and the doorway at the same time. " I know you don't stand for people insulting Master Kamiya or his style, but if this IS the Battosai he'll kill you!"  
"Have you forgotten how easily I beat you that first time?" Ari snarled and snapped furiously at him as he tried to restrain her.  
"No, I just-," Sano broke off, as just then a rather large man with a rather large sword and about ten other guys stepped in the dojo gates. Ari was all fight and spitfire, ready to mutilate this man.  
"You been looking for me, I hear!" the big man boomed out, walking up to her to intimidate her with his height. "Well, I think I don't like people who talk about me behind me back!"  
"I'll talk about you to your face and then rip it off while I'm at it!" She yelled furiously up at him, not in the least worried about the fact that he was about three times her size. 'How on earth does she manage to talk like that to someone so much bigger than she is?' Sano wondered to himself. 'She shows no fear of him whatsoever.Then again,' he thought, remembering how she had taken him out, 'She had no trouble with me, and I'm bigger then she is.and this time she's angry!"  
"Big words for such a small little girl," chuckled the huge idiot, "I think maybe I like your spunk.," he didn't finish, but instead looked her up and down in a way that only added to her fury. A small red-haired man walked past the gate, did a double take, and stopped to watch, looking slightly alarmed. Sano noticed that he had a sword on him and ran over.  
"How dare you." she said, voice shaking and deepening in anger, "I will stop you from ever picking up a sword again for that." Her voice turned a kind of ice that drives into men's souls and strikes fear wherever there is fear to be found. She looked up, and the man saw, a bit confused, that her eyes were no longer blue-grey, but instead the exact same color and hardness of steel.  
It was her eyes that fixated him, and he never saw the attack coming.  
Ari was on him in an instant, sword swinging only twice. She dropped back to the ground behind him and her eyes flashed as she turned to watch him. He stood there for a moment, stunned, and then dropped to the ground, unconscious from the pain of two crushed shoulders. She turned, ruthless, towards the other men in the dojo, and settled into an ordinary front stance, ready to strike again. The men stood there, terrified, not just at the speed and strength that she possessed but also of the look she had. It struck at the very core of their confidence, and one by one they ran like dogs.  
Ari waited until they were all gone, and then walked slowly over to the leader. Sanosuke's eyes widened as he realized that she was probably going to kill him.  
"Ari, NO!" he yelled as he jumped on her. "Help me here, will ya?" he yelled at the stranger, who started and then began helping him. Watching them, the steel look in Ari's eyes slowly softened and she snapped coldly:  
"Relax, baka, I do not intend to kill this man." Sanosuke stared at her, as did the red head.  
"Well, it looked like you were gonna!" Sano partially yelled as he let go of her, halfway embarrassed but mostly relieved.  
"I simply do not want him insulting the dojo by staying there any longer." She said of the man. "He has done that enough already. I will take him to a doctor. He may be able to use his arms again, but never well enough to kill someone with a sword." She looked at him, with an odd mixture of pity, sympathy, and contempt.  
Ari turned to the red-haired man. " Thank you for assisting Sanosuke, sir," she told him quietly. "You have the thanks of the Kamiya dojo."  
The man looked slightly embarrassed at this. " It was nothing, that it wasn't," he said, " I just did not wish to see anyone hurt."  
Ari studied him as he said this. He had rich red hair, tied in a ponytail, wore a white pair of hakama pants, and a bright purple shirt with a white gi underneath. He had what were startlingly gentle violet eyes, and a cross shaped scar on his cheek. Finally, he carried a sword that sounded distinctly familiar as it clinked in its sheath. Ari tried to figure out where she had heard the sound before.  
"All the same," she said, "you must stay with us for dinner at least. It's the least I can do for alarming you as I did."  
"Well." said the man. His stomach grumbled loudly as if on cue. "That would be very much appreciated, that it would." He smiled, looking somewhat embarrassed.  
"Alright, then!" Sano said, happy. "To the Akabeko it is!"  
"What's wrong with my cooking?!" Ari asked, indignant.  
"It SUCKS is what's wrong with it!" Sanosuke said nonchalantly, before he was knocked down by a well placed back fist to the chest on Ari's part.  
"Oops, 'scuse me," she said sweetly before going to get the only remaining student in the dojo. "Yahiko! Hey, Yahiko! If you want to have dinner, you'd better get out here right now!" she yelled.  
"My, she can yell quite loudly," the poor stranger remarked, feeling dazed.  
"Yeah, and you should see her when she's Kiai-ing during lessons!" Sano said, proud that he'd been the one to get her to the dojo.  
"What's your name, anyway?" Sano asked, as Ari and a little boy with black hair walked up.  
"My name?" the stranger asked, surprised. "My name is Kenshin Himura."  
And so Ari, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and the new guy Himura set out for a nice dinner at the Akabeko.  
  
Allison: There! Are you happy NOW, Kenshin Battosai? Kenshin: Please do not call me that, but yes, I am! Allison: Good. Now tell all the nice readers to review, please. Kenshin: Review, please! 


	7. Chapter Six

Ultimate Struggle Chapter Five- A Time For Everything  
  
Disclaimer: It's too early for this crap.Okay, okay! See Chapter One.  
  
Sano: um, are you okay? Allison: zzz. Kenshin: Miss Allison, wake up; its time for you to write, that it is! Allison: Leave me alone, I stayed up until 1.30 last night writing.zzz. Yusuke: hehehe.(Shouts in her ear)- WAKE UP!!! Allison: (slowly picks up her head and glares at him) Yusuke: Aw man! Not the glare! Nooooo..!!! Allison: (smiles) zzz.  
  
By the way, thanks to the people who reviewed me! (But no thanks to my FIRST reviewer, Kat.God, she flamed me for my FIRST EVER review! I couldn't believe the cruelty! Imagine: I get on my email, and am thrilled to find that, after my fic only being up for one day and only having an author's note, I have a review! I open it and what do I find? A FLAME! NOOoooooooooooo!)  
  
-"It has been wonderful teaching you," whispered the small child's Master. "I am just sorry that your education was cut off so abruptly and was so hurried."  
Her master's words echo through her mind, the mind of a very sad small child. She remembers with sorrow the rich red of his blood pooling on the cold cement, and the hoarseness of his voice terrifies her even in recollection. She remembers taking his sword and mixing her blood with his, cutting out of her arm the tracking and identification chip that was implanted in every human being at birth. There was an odd kind of comfort in the fact that both his and her blood were the same beautiful red, as if somehow it meant that he was in her and she in him. And then he died there on the ground, the same earth where he had trained her for such a precious small time.-  
  
Kamiya's death, barely a year after she had arrived, hurt her deeply, and she grieved him for a long while after. As a memorial to him for being such a kind man, she decided that she would continue teaching his style of swordsmanship until one or two of his pupils had earned the title of instructor and could take over. And so she taught Kamiya Kashin-"The Sword that Protects."  
A second year went by and Ari settled into a new routine. Teach, eat, sleep, train- and be dream. Ari found that she had begun dreaming; before she had come to the dojo she had only had nightmares. Now, though, she had some nice dreams, and even on occasion one or two beautiful ones. She could sit on the top of the dojo and gaze at the moon and stars, she could watch the cherry blossoms and plum blossoms and wisteria and autumn leaves. She could even enjoy life sometimes- a new experience for her. Ari slowly changed from a hard, untrusting loner to a quietly beautiful young woman. She stopped wearing her hood and cloak and even began to wear a proper kimono on formal occasions. Her eyes were the least noticeable, but largest change of all; they settled from a stormy grey-blue to a bright, deep blue with only a small amount of grey in the deepest crevices. She still wore her hair short, though, and as a general rule it still stuck out at all different angles, especially in the mornings before she got her bath. But it still was softer and slightly richer looking, as was her general appearance.  
It was halfway into her third year at the dojo that several men were found dead in the streets. People said the man who killed them claimed to be the infamous "Hitokiri Battosai," or the manslayer of legend from the Revolution. They also said he claimed to use the Kamiya Kashin style, and it was at that point that Ari lost it.  
"Now don't be hasty, miss!" Sano pleaded, desperately trying to hold on to her and the doorway at the same time. " I know you don't stand for people insulting Master Kamiya or his style, but if this IS the Battosai he'll kill you!"  
"Have you forgotten how easily I beat you that first time?" Ari snarled and snapped furiously at him as he tried to restrain her.  
"No, I just-," Sano broke off, as just then a rather large man with a rather large sword and about ten other guys stepped in the dojo gates. Ari was all fight and spitfire, ready to mutilate this man.  
"You been looking for me, I hear!" the big man boomed out, walking up to her to intimidate her with his height. "Well, I think I don't like people who talk about me behind me back!"  
"I'll talk about you to your face and then rip it off while I'm at it!" She yelled furiously up at him, not in the least worried about the fact that he was about three times her size. 'How on earth does she manage to talk like that to someone so much bigger than she is?' Sano wondered to himself. 'She shows no fear of him whatsoever.Then again,' he thought, remembering how she had taken him out, 'She had no trouble with me, and I'm bigger then she is.and this time she's angry!"  
"Big words for such a small little girl," chuckled the huge idiot, "I think maybe I like your spunk.," he didn't finish, but instead looked her up and down in a way that only added to her fury. A small red-haired man walked past the gate, did a double take, and stopped to watch, looking slightly alarmed. Sano noticed that he had a sword on him and ran over.  
"How dare you." she said, voice shaking and deepening in anger, "I will stop you from ever picking up a sword again for that." Her voice turned a kind of ice that drives into men's souls and strikes fear wherever there is fear to be found. She looked up, and the man saw, a bit confused, that her eyes were no longer blue-grey, but instead the exact same color and hardness of steel.  
It was her eyes that fixated him, and he never saw the attack coming.  
Ari was on him in an instant, sword swinging only twice. She dropped back to the ground behind him and her eyes flashed as she turned to watch him. He stood there for a moment, stunned, and then dropped to the ground, unconscious from the pain of two crushed shoulders. She turned, ruthless, towards the other men in the dojo, and settled into an ordinary front stance, ready to strike again. The men stood there, terrified, not just at the speed and strength that she possessed but also of the look she had. It struck at the very core of their confidence, and one by one they ran like dogs.  
Ari waited until they were all gone, and then walked slowly over to the leader. Sanosuke's eyes widened as he realized that she was probably going to kill him.  
"Ari, NO!" he yelled as he jumped on her. "Help me here, will ya?" he yelled at the stranger, who started and then began helping him. Watching them, the steel look in Ari's eyes slowly softened and she snapped coldly:  
"Relax, baka, I do not intend to kill this man." Sanosuke stared at her, as did the red head.  
"Well, it looked like you were gonna!" Sano partially yelled as he let go of her, halfway embarrassed but mostly relieved.  
"I simply do not want him insulting the dojo by staying there any longer." She said of the man. "He has done that enough already. I will take him to a doctor. He may be able to use his arms again, but never well enough to kill someone with a sword." She looked at him, with an odd mixture of pity, sympathy, and contempt.  
Ari turned to the red-haired man. " Thank you for assisting Sanosuke, sir," she told him quietly. "You have the thanks of the Kamiya dojo."  
The man looked slightly embarrassed at this. " It was nothing, that it wasn't," he said, " I just did not wish to see anyone hurt."  
Ari studied him as he said this. He had rich red hair, tied in a ponytail, wore a white pair of hakama pants, and a bright purple shirt with a white gi underneath. He had what were startlingly gentle violet eyes, and a scar shaped scar on his cheek. Finally, he carried a sword that sounded distinctly familiar as it clinked in its sheath. Ari tried to figure out where she had heard the sound before.  
"All the same," she said, "you must stay with us for dinner at least. It's the least I can do for alarming you as I did."  
"Well." said the man. His stomach grumbled loudly as if on cue. "That would be very much appreciated, that it would." He smiled, looking somewhat embarrassed.  
"Alright, then!" Sano said, happy. "To the Akabeko it is!" 


	8. Chapter Seven

Ultimate Struggle Chapter Six-A Quiet Dream  
  
Disclaimer: I am bored. I am writing because I am bored. If I had been  
bored and made up any of the characters in this story besides Ari,  
then I would be busy spending money. In other words, NOT MINE!  
  
Yusuke: Gee, a little bitter aren't you?  
Goku: Who's the new gal?  
Ari: I don't know, but she gets on my nerves. She keeps telling me I'm  
dangerously psychotic and that I need much therapy and medication.  
Kenshin: Now that's not nice.  
Battosai: .though true.  
Ari: Shut up. I'm the main character and you're not.  
Yusuke: No need to rub it in!  
Vash: uhm, hi.  
Allison: KILL!  
Katrina: Yet another lost lamb, in need of my treatment.  
Ari: Oh just shut up.  
  
-A small child looked around her, afraid. She knew that if she  
went to sleep, they would find her, and she would not wake up. She  
desperately tried to stay awake, and focused, but in the end her need  
to rest over came her and she slumbered. The small child was not  
afraid of police; she was afraid of dreams.-  
  
Ari Stormset, Ultimate of the Universe, once again had  
managed to get herself hurt. It had occurred during a fight with a  
certain angry ancient evil spirit whose Millennium Ring had  
effectively taken away her sight. Again.  
'How is it that I always manage to get hurt?' she asked  
herself. 'Why can I not just go in, save some people, and go back to  
the dojo without any bodily harm?'  
Then a rather worrisome thought entered into her mind.  
'How' she wondered, 'am I ever going to explain or even hide the fact  
that I can't see from Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko?'  
Oops. She thought.  
"Ah, well," she said to no one in particular. "I guess  
I'll just have to get better quick."  
  
Ari crept quietly back into the dojo early in the morning,  
before Kenshin or anyone else should be up but way too late to have  
any hope for sleep. She had just finished making a quick stop at  
Kame's Lookout (think DBZ) to get Dende to fix her sight. It had  
worked, but Ari felt like she had somehow fudged on the laws of proper  
recuperation. Oh, well.  
Unable to get to sleep, because there would only be about  
an hour of it, Ari decided that she would get up and make one of the  
few things she knew how to cook well for breakfast: clam chowder.  
Yahiko and Sanosuke actually begged for this at times, and she figured  
that if they were busy eating they wouldn't ask about the small scar  
that Dende had been unable to prevent from forming from her injury.  
Kenshin she wasn't sure about, but she decided to make sure her bangs  
were down so that they could hide it, just in case.  
Over the course of the two years she had been at the  
Kamiya dojo, Ari had managed to never once let anyone see any more  
scars of hers than possible. Herself, she thought of them as Badges of  
Courage, so to speak, but she wasn't sure how people would react to  
them, and so she kept herself covered. Good thing the Japanese were  
people who believed in keeping themselves covered.  
Ari sighed, feeling slightly better as she went ahead and  
had a bowl of chowder. She pretty much always came in and had a first  
serving before telling people that breakfast was ready; she needed it,  
too. After battling nightly for her life and generally doing things  
that most heroes only had to do once or twice in their lifetime, Ari  
was very hungry. Eating before breakfast usually satiated her need for  
calories already burnt, and then breakfast got her ready for training.  
When she was finished, Ari went to first to Yahiko's room,  
then Sano's, and finally to Kenshin's to wake people up and alert them  
to breakfast. Yahiko was up and out in an instant, and after hearing  
about the clam chowder, Sano quickly followed suit. Ari watched them  
go before knocking on Kenshin's door.  
He didn't answer, and so Ari stepped softly into the room.  
A little too softly, perhaps; he didn't awaken as he usually did when  
someone came in. Ari, a little confused on proper etiquette I in a  
situation such as this, stood for half a moment wondering what she  
should do. She thought and finally settled on simply waking him up.  
"Kenshin," she said, trying to wake him up without giving  
him a heart attack, "C'mon it's time to wake up-breakfast is ready. If  
you don't get out there pretty quickly, all the clam chowder is going  
to be gone!"  
He awoke. "Clam chowder?" he asked, happy. "Really?"  
"Not for long with Sanosuke and Yahiko already eating,"  
she replied seriously. "We'd best go eat."  
"Okay, I'll be along in a minute," he said, realizing that  
he had no shirt on.  
"Alright," I said, " but don't blame me if it's already  
all gone!"  
  
Everyone sat down and had a nice breakfast, and Sano and  
Yahiko actually told her that she had cooked a good meal. "Ah,  
thanks," she said, wondering what they'd say if she cooked dinner,  
too.  
"It's very good, that it is," said Kenshin, content. "A  
nice way to start off some training."  
"Aw, man, whose side are you on?" whined Sano and Yahiko.  
"Watch yourself boys," said a rather tired instructor. " I  
feel like sparring today. you know, I think that that's exactly what  
we're going to do tomorrow unless you can give me three hundred reps  
today." Ari grinned evilly, her eyes hardening slightly. "Believe me,  
I am really, really ready to beat on someone, too."  
Yahiko and Sano ran out to get started. Neither of them  
enjoyed the bumps, bruises, and occasional broken rib that usually  
accompanied sparring days. Ari, of course, enjoyed it immensely.  
Kenshin watched them go. " They really do not want to  
spar, that they don't," he observed thoughtfully. "Why?"  
Ari grinned wolfishly. " Because I beat the crap out of  
them as a general rule."  
"Oh." He said, somewhat taken aback. " Why are you so  
harsh with them? They might enjoy themselves sparring if you give them  
a reason, that they might." He quietly left to go do the dishes.  
Ari sighed, then, feeling guilty went to do laundry.  
  
Kenshin had only just finished the dishes when he found Ari cleaning  
the floors. He went to hang up the clean laundry and when he returned  
was surprised to find her asleep on the floor. 'What on earth has she  
been up to? Although.' he thought, 'come to think of it, she does do  
an enormous amount of work around here. I wonder if she sleeps well.'  
He shrugged, then decided that it would be better for her to sleep in  
her bed than face down on the floor. He summarily gathered her up off  
the floor and carried her quietly to her room, closing the door softly  
behind him.  
  
Ari awoke later to find herself refreshed and somewhat annoyed with  
herself for falling asleep. It was the late evening, and she stretched  
a moment before mentally berating herself while stepping out. She  
managed to step out smack into Kenshin, causing clean fresh smelling  
laundry to go everywhere.  
" Sumimasen, oh, sumimasen!" she said, half way panicking as she  
scrambled around picking up clothing. " I'm so sorry, I didn't see you  
there-," she broke off, feeling a little high-strung and deciding it  
would look better to be quiet than babbling.  
"It's all right, Miss Ari, please don't worry yourself over it!"  
Kenshin said, looking like he was a bit worried about her.  
"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Ari? You're looking a little  
troubled, that you are," he asked.  
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." she said distractedly, not sure what was wrong  
with herself.she was acting so out of sorts, unable to focus-she ran  
her hand through her hair, trying to figure out what was wrong. Bad  
move- Kenshin saw her scar.  
"When did you get that?" he asked, now really concerned. "I haven't seen that scar before- Miss Ari, what is happening? Is there anything going wrong that you need to tell us about?"  
"NO! I'm fine!" Ari said desperately, turning and running outside and fleeing down the street. She dimly heard Kenshin yelling after her, but didn't stop to hear him. She ran, completely panicked now, trying to get to somewhere she could relax and be home but realizing that such a place, for her, did not exist. She continued to run until she reached the edge of the forest, where the river wound a path between the wild and where she stood. Kenshin ran up behind her, and stopped, taking her in to find clues as to what had her so badly spooked. Ari had stopped, however, and was somehow at peace- the sight of the river and the forest gave her a sense of content. Kenshin realized this, and stared, wondering.  
Ari stood, confident, at the edge of the river, on a large gray outcropping of granite, looking up to the moon. Her short brown blonde hair rose with her chi, cape slung over one shoulder, rustling in the breeze created by her rising energy. Her small, lithe, and strong body spoke of strife, and of pain, but also of a quiet confidence in herself. She was possessed of an air of quiet suffering, of private and deep pain. She gazed deeply up at the moon with blue-grey eyes that held the light, and gave it back with rolling storms mixing infinitely with steel and a rich red the color of blood. She stood there, strength incarnate, and Kenshin stood, as close to awe as ever he'd been.  
It was only a passing moment in time, and somehow within those few seconds Kenshin had seen every part of Ari. He had seen how incredibly weary her spirit was, and how lonely she felt day to day. He noted the colors running through her eyes, and realized the pain, they space, the anger, and the mettle that was within her. He was amazed at her capacity to live, and to fight, and to keep on living, even though she stood on the brink, repeatedly. He admired her for her confidence, the kind of inner strength inside her, and how she very carefully kept it all restrained, as though she were afraid to be herself for fear of hurting the loved ones around her. After a moment, Ari blinked, and the feeling was gone like the breeze. She sighed, then, with a last look at the moon, she turned and walked towards Kenshin.  
Kenshin was silent as she looked at him with a kind of unvoiced gratitude in her eyes, and they agreed in a glance that no words would be spoken on what had transpired. They walked, without a word, back to the dojo, and entered into their respective sleeping quarters. Ari and Kenshin were both up after that, thinking on what had happened.  
  
Allison: Phew! It's 3.30 in the morning, and I am tired! Hannah: You're tired? I'M tired! Allison: Folks meet my part time co-writer, Hannah! Hannah: Shut up. It's time for bed. Kenshin: zzz. Yusuke: zzz. Goku: SNORE.. Vash: zzz.mumblemumbledonuts. Hannah: zzz. Allison: aw, come on, y'all! I'm just a bundle of energy at this time of the morning! I could keep on writing until the sun comes up! Hannah: (knocks Allison unconscious with a high pseudo-chop to the back of the head) goodnight.  
  
Screensaver: Please review! 


	9. Author's Note

Hi everyone!  
  
Arigatou for taking so long to update. I have had sooo much homework and training and stuff to do, it's not even funny! Yuske: .weeeellll, actually. Allison: SHUT UP! ANYWAY, I decided to upload two at a time since I'm so prone to taking forever to update. Arigatou once again, and gomen nasai for reading all of this unworthy one's VERY worthy stuff! ^-^ (That's now my favorite expression now!) Goku: You know, we never did spar. (Tumble weeds roll across a dusty screen and typing) Goku: SIGH. 


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